Machine for molding marbles



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 A. L. DYKE. MACHINE FOR MOLDING MARBLES.

Np. 451,855. Patented May 5,1891.

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H K V D L A MACHINE FOR MOLDING MARBLES.

.No. 451,855. Patented May 5,1891.

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(No ModeL) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

'A. L. DYKE. MACHINE FOR MOLDING, MARBLES.

No. 451,855. Patented May 5, 1891.

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ACTAEON L. DYKE, OF AKRON, OllIO.

MACHINE FOR MOLDING MARBLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 451,855, dated May 5, 1891.

Application filed October 23, 1890.

To all w/wm it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AOTAEON L. DYKE, of Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Molding Marbles, &c. and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in a machine designed more especially for molding marbles; or, in a more general sense, the machine is well adapted for molding clay or other plastic material into spherical forms; and it consists in certain features of construction and in combination of parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In manufacturing marbles the clay may be compressed in molds to shape it spherically, but marbles made by such means are of little value, for the reason that the grain or fiber of the material is short and is not sufficiently blended, by reason of which in firing many of these marbles crack and many others that seem perfect at the end of the firing process, if dropped upon the pavement or if thrown against each other with any considerable force, will break like clay pipe-stems. To construct a tough and consequently a durable marble, the surface thereof before firing should be rubbed under pressure to elongate the particles circumferentially and to blend the fiber, and to this end I have devised the machine illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a plan. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is an end elevation in detail. Fig. 4: is an elevation in detail, showing more especially the feed-tubes and severing device. Fig. 5 is a plan corresponding with Fig. 3, and showing respectively in solid and in dotted lines different working positions of the parts. Fig. 6 is a bottom plan of feed-lever E and the co-operating mechanism. Fig. 7 is an elevation in central section in detail of the molding-wheel and pad. Fig. 8 is a plan in section of a pad -section and its supports. Figs. 3 to S,inclusive, are enlarged views.

A represents a suitable frame, preferably of cast-iron, and having a supporting-base A. The form of the frame might be varied indefi- Serial No. 369,065. (No model.)

nitely, but that shown is well adapted to the purpose, being strong and comparatively light, and being in the main integral, is comparativcly cheap, and at the same time gives a neat and tasty appearance to the machine.

B represents a so-called molding-wheel, comprising two sections or halves, respectively, B and B This wheel is usually op erated in approximatelya horizontal position, in which case B would represent the upper and B the lower section or half of the wheel. This wheel is provided with a circumferential groove B at the periphery, this groove being circular or curved in cross-section, and arranged as shown, so that the groove is about equally divided between the wheel-sections B B These wheel-sections may be mounted loosely on the same shaft'b, each wheel in such case being provided with some mechanism for transmitting power thereto-such, for instance, as driving-pulleys 1) b preferably cast integral with the wheel-sections. Shaft 19 connects with and is supported by frame A, and is provided with an adjustable collar 17 located next below the lower wheel-section, and the opposing ends of the hub of the wheelsections may be of such length as to-support at least a portion of the weight of the upper wheel section, but there should be no crack between the wheel-sections at the periphery thereof. The two wheel-sections may be rotated in the same direction, or by crossing one of the belts they may be rotated in the opposite direction, and they may be rotated at the same or a different speed, according to circumstances, and this matter of regulating the speed of the wheels is so well understood that it is not considered necessary to say anything further on the subject.

0 is a metal band or the section of a band located opposite groove B and some little distance outside of wheel B, member C being rigidly secured, for instance, to frame A, the function of member 0 being to support the different pad-sections D D, and to this end member 0 has a series of lateral holes adapted to receive pins d d, that support the different -padsections D D. Pins dare pierced laterally near their outer ends and provided with cross-pins d, and the latter, by engaging the outside of member 0, serve as stops to limit the inward movement of the pad-sections, caused by the action of springs (Z to avoid the possibility of the pad-sections engaging wheels B B as engagement would result in wearing the pads. Springs d are mounted, respectively, on pins cl next inside of members 0, these pins having screw-threaded sections for receivingnuts (1 These nuts bear respectively against the inner ends of the springs, and by manipulating these nuts the proper tension is given to the springs. Pins d have headsd (see Fig. 7) for attaching to the body of pad-sections D. The body of these pad-sections may be constructed of wood, metal, or other suitable material, and are covered usuallywith cloth or other fabric or material suited to the purpose and padded between the body of the pad-sections and the covering material on the side opposite groove B The padding material may be, for instance, of'cotton, curled hair, soft rubber, or I other soft and elastic material, which, together with the yielding pressure supplied by springs d render the pad-sections well adapted to co-operate with wheels B in molding, for instance, blocks of clay or other plas- E is preferably of the curved variety shown and adapted to give a quick return as compared with the forward movement of the lever. I do not wish to limit myself to the precise form of the slot shown,.as this may be varied somewhat according to circumstances,

and I may find it advisable to modify the form thereof after I have used the machine for a longer time. However, the form of slot shown has thus far served the purpose well.

G is an upright feed-tube, into which the bars K of clay orother material are inserted by hand, these bars having previously been prepared so that they will fit loosely inside of the tube.

H is a vertically-adjustable stop on which the bar of material may rest asit descends by gravity inside the feed-tube.

The severing device comprises in the main a broad, thin, flat blade I, usually of steel, and preferably mounted on and rigidly secured to an arm I. The latter is pivoted at 1 so that the blade-may vibrate in approximately a horizontal plane past the line of the feed-tube G and in position underneath and so close to the lower end of the feed-tube that v the blade will sever the material by cutting rather than by breaking that portion of the material protruding below the tube. Meantime the stop H is adjusted upward or downward, as may be required, to regulate or gage the length of the piece of material that is severed with each stroke of the knife. The severing device is provided with a catch J, pivoted at J to the under side of member I. This catch is provided with a spring j, the action of which tends to hold the catch in position bearing against the stopforinstance, against stop 2', in which normal position of the catch shoulder J 2 of the latter opposes the end section of lever E. Hence when lever E is swung forward it engages the catch and causes the latter to swing forward in unison with the lever, whereby the material is sev-' ered by the knife, and just as this occurs the end of lever E draws away from or becomes disengaged from shoulder J whereupon the knife stops in position, leaving at least the back portion of the blade I under and engaging the lower end of the material, whereby the latter is held from descending until such times as the knife is reversed by the returnstroke of lever E. Lever E on the returnstroke first engages the side of the catch and snubs the latter back, and when the lever passes shoulder J the catch, by the action of the spring, returns to its normal position against the stop, and just as this occurs the lever engages lug I of member I, by which engagement the knife mechanism is reversed, and thereby moved from under the bar of clay or other material, so that the latter may again descend by gravity and rest on stop H. Lever E is provided with a removable block E the latter havingaconcaved seat E somewhat corresponding with and adapted to engage the piece of material severed by the knife, and the lever and block carry forward the severed block of material and deliver it between wheel B and the opposing padsection. (See Fig. 1.) Vheel B, moving in the direction of the arrow, would tend to carry the block of material in the same direction, subject, however, to the friction of the pad, which, by restraining the engaging side of the blank, causes the latter to be rolled and tumbled along its way, resulting in the materialbeingquickly moldedintoasphericalform. The speed with which the blank is carried around by the molding-wheel will depend largely on the speed of the lower wheel-section 13 for the reason that the blank, by its own gravity, rests on the lower wheelsection. The upper section B may be run faster or slower than the lower section, or may be" run in the opposite direction, and in either case the blank will be carried along through the machine, perhaps moving a little faster or a little slower than it would if both sections of the wheel moved in unison. If, howeverythe two wheelsections move in oppositedirection, the lower section must always run in the direction of the arrow to feed the materialfor the reasons aforesaid. If then the two wheelsections move in opposite directions, or if they move in the same direction but at different rates of speed, in either case the ball of clay or other material is subjected to a constant rubbing action of the wheel-sections, such rubbing tending to elongate and blend the fiber at the periphery of the ball, so that marbles made by such means are tough and strong and not liable to break in firing or in subsequent use. The groove in the molding-wheel is not intended to fit the marble or other work, but only serves to guide the blank, for it is a well-known fact that spherical forms may be readily produced by rolling the ma terial between two approximately flat surfaces-for instance, by rolling the material between the palms of the hands.

The size of the marble or other work is regulated primarily by the quantity of material fed into the machine at each stroke of the cutting and feeding device, and the latter is adjusted accordingly as aforesaid, so that different-sized marbles or balls may be manufactured in the same groove of the moldingwheel. The bar of material K should correspond somewhat in diameter to the size of the finished work, for if the bar of material were of large size the pieces of the material cut therefrom for making small balls or marbles might be so short that stop H would be in the way of arm E. Tube G, therefore, should be removable, so that other tubes might be inserted having different bores corresponding somewhat with the sizes of the bars of material to be used. However, if tube G were large enough to accommodate the largestbar of material required, smaller tubes or bushings could be inserted therein to ac commodate bars of smaller size, in which case tube G could be permanently attached to the machine, and either arrangement would answer the purpose. At the rear end of the pad is provided an inclined tube L, through which the finished work is discharged from the machine by gravity, the centrifugal force of the machine being sufficient to cast off the ball into trough L as soon as the balls are free from the pad. The pad-sections may be, and preferably are, quite short and the balls of clay or other material may follow each other in quick succession, and the crank-shaft F is speeded accordingly.

The proper speed with which the machine can be operated successfully will depend somewhat upon the kind and quality of the material used, as will also the relative speed of the wheel-sections B B and whetherthese sections be run in the same or opposite directions, and many of these details can only be determined by practice.

From the foregoing it might be inferred that all the difierent sizes of marbles could be wrought in the same groove B, but such is not the case. If there is to be radical change in the size of the ball or marble, a different wheel B must be inserted, having a different groove 13 to correspond somewhat with the work. Hence if the machine is intended for general work several wheels B should be provided for the machine, these wheels having, respectively, grooves B of different sizes.

hat I claim is 1. In a machine for molding plastic mate rial into approximately spherical form, the combination, with a rotating so-called molding-wheel constructed in sections and having a peripheral circumferential groove, of an opposing pad located in position to engage the material being wrought in the groove of the wheel, substantially as set forth.

2. I In a machine for molding plastic material into spherical forms, a rotating so-called molding-wheel having a circumferential groove at the periphery thereof, combined with an opposing pad adapted to engage the material being wrought in the groove of the wheel, such pad being backed by one or more springs, whereby the pad is applied to the material with a yielding pressure, substantially as set forth.

3. In amachine formanufacturing marbles or other spherical articles from plastic material, the combination, with a so-called molding-wheel having a circumferential groove at the periphery thereof, of an opposing pad located opposite such groove, such pad consisting of a series of sections, each section being backed by one or more springs, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a machine for molding plastic material into spherical form, a so-called moldingwheel constructed in sections or halves, the division-line being on a plane perpendicular to the axis of such wheel, the Wheel having a circumferential groove at the periphery thereof and located at the union of the wheel-sections, in combination with a pad located opposite such groove, substantially as set forth,

5. The combination, with molding-wheel and opposing pad arranged in sections, substantially as indicated, of feed-tube constructed substantially as shown, and severing mechanism adapted to divide the material into pieces of uniform size and to deliver the pieces successively to the machine, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with molding-wheel and opposing pad-sections, substantially as shown, of feed-tube, and a vibrating knife or cutter for severing the material, a vibrating lever adapted to actuate such knife and adapted to deliver the severed pieces of material to the machine in position between the moldingwheel and pads, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification, in the presence of two witnesses, this 4th day of October, 1890.

AOTAEON L. DYKE.

Witnesses: 

